Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[mymilliefleur]

Here's my Stanford! Isn't he handsome? Tail wagging big boy.

Yes, he is very pretty reminds me of my boy.

 

[MsPoultry]

Here's my Stanford! Isn't he handsome? Tail wagging big boy.

He's gorgeous!

 

[Terri O]

My poor guys are covered in mud today. The snow we got all melted off and their area is nothing but a muddy mess. I want to move them in with the chicken and welsh harlequin flock for the winter, but until we get some serious snow I can't do it because the chickens will escape the run if there's not snow on the ground, and then I have to leave the run open to let them back in or they take to sleeping in the trees. I need to be able to keep the run closed to keep the scovies in because they still are tempted to wander over to the neighbor's - and the road - even with their wings clipped. Why they need to be over there is beyond me.

Oh I just hated the mud last weekend...but we are 10 now...I am not happy about that either...all hoses were frozen yesterday even though I dropped all 250' into the well pit! The mistake I make was to not shut off the water and unhook it...I guess there was too much water remaining inside...all better now though!

I can vouch for the fact if you clip both they may still be able to fly, because when I first started clipping and not having a computer to look it up I did clip both and yep my one duck did fly.

this is the one I go by.

This is the pattern I use for my parrots too but I only clip the first 5. (the yellow ones and the first 3 green on the diagram) I do both wings so they can land nicely and not crash. I have never clipped a muscovy's wings though. They are so strong I can just see them using that ample tail to balance a one wing cut!

He's gorgeous!

Agreed! I love my big males that look like that!

I am sorry to report that a two of my teenagers went swimming in the shallow trough last night...no heater in that one cause it is shared with another trough that was heating the frozen hose...*sigh...you can imagine what I found this morning I am sure. I am always so sad when this happens. My fault? An act of God? Stupid ducks that have to swim when it's 10*? It happens a few times a year but it always makes me sad just the same....anyone have a solution besides giving them tiny pans of water?

OK--time to head out and lock up. Have a great night--TerriO

 

[MsPoultry]

Oh I just hated the mud last weekend...but we are 10  now...I am not happy about that either...all hoses were frozen yesterday even though I dropped all 250' into the well pit!  The mistake I make was to not shut off the water and unhook it...I guess there was too much water remaining inside...all better now though!

This is the pattern I use for my parrots too but I only clip the first 5. (the yellow ones and the first 3 green on the diagram)  I do both wings so they can land nicely and not crash.  I have never clipped a muscovy's wings though.  They are so strong I can just see them using that ample tail to balance a one wing cut!

Agreed!  I love my big males that look like that!

I am sorry to report that a two of my teenagers went swimming in the shallow trough last night...no heater in that one cause it is shared with another trough that was heating the frozen hose...*sigh...you can imagine what I found this morning I am sure.  I am always so sad when this happens.  My fault? An act of God? Stupid ducks that have to swim when it's 10*?  It happens a few times a year but it always makes me sad just the same....anyone have a solution besides giving them tiny pans of water?

OK--time to head out and lock up.  Have a great night--TerriO

Ducks can't feel the temp through their feet so they wouldn't realize how cold it is and their feathers are super thick and protective so they can't feel the temp that way really either so only their face would really get cold so...

 

[Double Kindness]

My one duck is chocolate and black I think

her name is Truffle. The muscovies all seem to be molting right now. Trouble my littlest scovy likes to sleep in the nesting box, pretty high up

I'm not worried yet b/c my pullets are too little to be laying yet until spring. We plan on moving the ducks to another part of the yard in the spring for when they start laying eggs.

Should I separate out Elvis my drake after they start laying? I don’t want to get too over run with ducklings in the spring.

 

[MsPoultry]

Probably or just prevent your hens from brooding by collecting the eggs like twice a day

 

[Double Kindness]

Are they likely to get up into my high nesting boxes to lay eggs? I have no idea what I'm doing with ducks yet obviously lol. I had tried to get them over to the "duck" side of the condo to no avail. The ayam cemani have decided that is THEIRS so the ducks go with the white bresse and the haffies and younger ayam cemani chickens.

The cemani are very arrogant and bossy. They give the muscovies what for in the pecking order of things which was kind of surprising.

considering that the ducks are far larger than the chickens.

 

[MsPoultry]

Well I'm very new to muscovy ducks to I only have drakes that I got earlier this year but since they like to roost I should say yes they probably will find the nests but they might choose not to because of the chickens :/ being mean too them and yes I understand my little Banty roo makes my big drake Lewis run for cover lol

 

[chrissyr]

I can vouch for the fact if you clip both they may still be able to fly, because when I first started clipping and not having a computer to look it up I did clip both and yep my one duck did fly.

this is the one I go by.

So you clip all of the white feathers on the bottom row? and you CAN clip the green and yellow too, but they may be able to fly? Trying to figure this out before I try it on my birds. they haven't started flying yet, but the other side of the fence lie coyotes in waiting. Whenever I clip my chickens I've done both wings. When I did one, they still flew over fences. But there was no awesome diagram like this one for me either

 

[chrissyr]

My one duck is chocolate and black I think
her name is Truffle. The muscovies all seem to be molting right now. Trouble my littlest scovy likes to sleep in the nesting box, pretty high up
I'm not worried yet b/c my pullets are too little to be laying yet until spring. We plan on moving the ducks to another part of the yard in the spring for when they start laying eggs.

Should I separate out Elvis my drake after they start laying? I don’t want to get too over run with ducklings in the spring.

I like that chocolate and brown duck! very pretty!

Are they likely to get up into my high nesting boxes to lay eggs? I have no idea what I'm doing with ducks yet obviously lol. I had tried to get them over to the "duck" side of the condo to no avail. The ayam cemani have decided that is THEIRS so the ducks go with the white bresse and the haffies and younger ayam cemani chickens.

The cemani are very arrogant and bossy. They give the muscovies what for in the pecking order of things which was kind of surprising. considering that the ducks are far larger than the chickens.

Interesting about the cemani's being the boss. My 4 muscovies were raised by a chicken and have been good, but I worry the drakes will try to mount the chickens and hurt them.

Oh and sorry for lying in ambush here. I just found this thread and realized i didn't introduce myself. I have 4 French white muscovies. 2 I'll keep as a breeding pair, the other 2 will go to freezer camp. They sure are harder to part with than chickens. Such personalities!